According to the prior art, for example according to U.S. Pat. No. 1,481,354, a bracelet or band is known, which comprises on its surface which is adapted for coming in contact with the area surrounding the acupuncture point, at least one half-sphere in a hard non resilient material. The bracelet is made of a non resilient material, the half-sphere being applied by its flat face on the bracelet inner surface. The half-sphere exerts a crushing action and not a massage on the defined acupuncture point. This device does not give satisfactory results due to the fact that the bearing area is spread out over too wide a surface in the vicinity of the sensitive point and that the bearing pressure depends only on the bracelet tightening intensity, a correct tightening causing on the skin a hard and violent pressure which is difficult to support. On the other hand, the smooth and sliding surfaced half-sphere has a tendency to side-slip easily on the skin during the movements, which makes impossible to obtain the effect looked after.
The applicants have proposed to replace the half-sphere by a cone or troncated cone of a resiliently deformable material, the rounded point of which stimulating selectively the determined acupuncture point and enhancing the maintenance in position and therefore the efficiency of the stimulation.
On the other hand, the cone exerts, via its rounded point, a deep punctual pressure on the point to stimulate. Moreover, due to its resiliency, the cone which is deformed by the pressure exerted by the band develops a pushing force in order to return to its initial shape, which constitutes an extra important component of the stimulation.
Finally, due to the resiliency of the pressure member, the pressure varies according to the movements of the limb and the contractions of the muscles in the area where the pressure member is situated. Thereby results an accentuation of the massage effect of the sensitive point, which means a very advantageous disposition for reaching the effect looked after. It has also been proposed to use several stimulation cones on the same fixation band, said cones comprising at their base a self-hooking pellet the complementary element of which is carried by a cushion adapted on the fixation band. The position of the stimulation cones on the same cushion can thus be modified in order to be adapted to each morphology. The cushion is made of a deformable and resilient material, as is the fixation band. One end of the band is fixed to the cushion, the other end passes in a baffle made in the thickness of the cushion in order to ensure the tightening. This device brings about the possibility of multiplying the points to be stimulated in the same region and of adapting itself to each particular morphology. The fact that it is made of a deformable resilient material contributes to the massage of the point, limits the sliding motion and improves the confort. Yet, when the application is made during a more or less lengthy periods, there appear painfull phenomena or skin reactions resulting from a tightening intensity which is too high, in turn connected to the necessity of maintaining by such a tightening a correct permanent positioning of the cone. Indeed, if the tightening is insufficient, the cone would be likely to move and would not therefore apply a stimulation sufficiently precise on the determined point. Moreover, the fixation mode would not allow reaching efficiently certain points to be stimulated.
In DE-A-No. 2 621 992 has been proposed to surround the frustoconical element effecting the massage of the acupuncture point by a flat concave centering cupel. The part played by this cupel is not explained and the material of which it is made is neither indicated, but it seems that its role is to maintain constant the driving in of the pressure member, and therefore the pressure, the cupel bearing via its rim on the area surrounding the acupuncture point. With this device, the pressure exerted by the pressure member and the cupel rim on the skin is determined by the tightening provided by the fixation ring and this pressure depends on the tightening intensity, the pressure member and the cupel having no resiliency of their own.